


Getting to know you

by SofiAttemptsToWrite



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: 2009, Blogger Dan Howell, Cute, Disability, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Mute Dan Howell, Phanfic Writing Challenge, The Trope Challenge, YouTuber Phil Lester, pwc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-29 02:48:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14463357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SofiAttemptsToWrite/pseuds/SofiAttemptsToWrite
Summary: Dan and Phil's first meeting, but with a twist.





	Getting to know you

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is my first fic for the @phanfichallenge. I had so much fun writing it! It's a twist on the mute!dan trope. I hope you guys like it!

_Isn't @AmazingPhil the cutest person on Earth?_ , Dan writes as a caption under a gifset of cute moments on Phil's latest video.

Immediately after he posts it, it starts getting notes. Dan smiles. He loves tumblr. It is the only place where he feels like he can be himself. There no one looks at him weird, no one pities him. And no one knows.

Dan's mute. He had an accident a few years ago and his vocal cords were permanently damaged. He had to learn sign language, and as not many people can understand it, he has problems communicating generally.

People treat him different because of his condition as well, and Dan hates it.

That's why he likes tumblr so much. There, he's just another fanboy. He gets treated as just another guy. Honestly, that's the only thing that makes him happy nowadays.

That, and AmazingPhil. He's grateful for both of them.

AmazingPhil, he's so cool… Dan loves him, he's literally amazing (pun not intended). His videos are so funny, and he's such a nice person, and he's so _cute_ … Dan blushes, even if no one can hear his thoughts.

He decides to check his Twitter, and there is a new tweet by Phil, just a few seconds ago.

_I was about to go to sleep but now my stomach has decided it wants toast. Should I listen to it?_

Dan is quick to think of a reply. He's excited. Phil replied to some of his last responses, so he hopes he will do it again tonight.

_@AmazingPhil of course u should listen! stomachs always come first xD_

After a few minutes, he gets Phil's reply:

_@danisnotonfire maybe you're right. After all, it's always time for toast!_

_@AmazingPhil it doesn't even matter it's like 1:30 am :)_

_@danisnotonfire xD_

Dan smiles happily. He can't believe it. AmazingPhil has replied to him _twice_ on the same tweet! It's definitely the best day ever.

That night, when Dan goes to sleep, he's the happiest he's been in a long time.

\--------

This goes on for more than a month. Phil tweets, Dan replies, phil replies to that, they talk. Until one day it changes.

_1 new DM from: @AmazingPhil._

_Phil Lester: Hey! I've noticed you replying to my tweets a lot, I wondered if you wanna chat? :)_

What?! This is Phil Lester? He's talking directly to him (kind of)? He wants to _chat_?! What the hell is happening?

Play it cool, Dan.

 _Dan Howell: hi!_ _~~yes i wanna chat, thanks!~~_ _how are u? i’d love to chat!_ ~~_i’ve been a fan for such a long_ ~~ _~~time~~.. _ ~~_i’ve been stalking you lol!_~~ _i'm a big fan of your videos! :]_

Dan sighs and presses send. This is the best the message can be.

_Phil Lester: Cool! I love talking to my fans and for your many replies to my tweets, you seem like a really nice and funny guy!_

And so it begins.

The start chatting. Dan can't believe his luck. He is chatting with Phil Lester! They talk about everything, and they get along incredibly well. It's like all this time they were meant to get to know each other and become friends. Phil tries to convince him to become a youtuber himself, but Dan always refuses. He knows that, even if what's happening with Phil is surreal, he's not cured. He still can't speak. And Phil can't know that.

He can't know, because everything will change after that. Because Phil will start treating him different, or (worst case scenario) he won't want to talk to him anymore. And Dan can't bear that thought.

Dan tells Phil about his tumblr blog. He knows it's embarrassing, because it's a blog about him after all, but he's so proud of it. And Phil gets him, anyway. Dan knows he won't judge.

Phil seems to love a lot of his posts. He reblog many of them and Dan's blog increases it's popularity enormously after that.

And eventually, they get there. Phil asks Dan to Skype.

And obviously, Dan refuses.

He can't Skype, because he can't speak. And Phil can't know that.

But he keeps insisting. They're friends, he says, and he wants to know what his friend looks like apart from photos. He promises Dan that he really likes him, and no Skype call would change his mind.

But Phil doesn't know, Dan reminds himself. Phil is so nice and funny and cute, and he's creative and smart and amazing. Dan's so lucky, he still can't believe Phil started talking to him in the first place. He couldn't bear to lose him now.

Phil insists and insists he asks everyday for almost a month. And even though Dan really didn't want to at first, he's endeared by Phil's determination to get to know him better.

So after Phil asks a few more times, Dan finally agrees. Dan can feel Phil's excitement through his messages. He tells him he has to tell him something really important, but he doesn't wanna do it through chat. It just felt too important not to say it face to face.

He has to prepare. Even after agreeing, he still isn't sure if he's ready. It's not that he doesn't wanna talk to Phil, he does want to. So bad. But he still doesn't think he wants Phil to know he's mute. It will change everything.

_One incoming call: @Amazing_Phil_

It's happening. Dan breathes in and out slowly. He's so nervous.

He answers the call.

“Hello!” Phil greets him, and Dan smiles. He waves his hand in response. His voice feels so familiar, it's like he's just watching another video.

“How are you? I'm so excited we're finally doing this! Can you tell?” Phil smile is so wide Dan laughs. Then, Phil asks: “What did you wanna tell me?” and Dan's smile disappears.

He wrote it on a piece of paper, and he holds it up to Phil: _I'm mute._

It takes a while for Phil to react. But then he smiles again.

“Did you think that would be a problem?” He asks. Dan lowers his head, ashamed. “it's not! Dan, you're one of the most amazing people I've ever met! I don't care that you can't speak!”

Dan's smile returns, and it doesn't leave again. Because Phil says he doesn't care, and it feels like he truly doesn’t. They way he says it is different to other people’s. So they keep talking, they talk about everything and any thing, and they don't stop ‘till three am. It's hard, and it's slow, because Dan has to write everything down. But it doesn't feel wrong. To Dan, nothing has ever felt more right.

And when he finally goes to sleep, after hours and hours of talking on Skype, he admits it to himself. He has such a big crush on Phil Lester.

\--------

They talk through Skype a lot. Every time Dan has a bad day (which is often). Every time something weird happens to Phil (which is even more often). They talk about everything, they laugh at dumb jokes, they plan their first real meeting. Because it's happening.

Now that Dan is eighteen, his parents allow him to go up North by himself. It's all Dan can think about. They're both so excited.

If someone had told Dan a few months ago that he was going to become friends with Phil Lester, they he was going to _meet_ him, he would have called them crazy. But now, it was happening.

On October 19th, he gets on the train that will take him to Manchester. The journey is long, and it feels longer. He's excited and nervous. How is this meeting going to go?

When the train gets to the Manchester train station, it's noon. He checks he has everything with him. Bag, check. Luggage, check. Notebook and pen, check.

And then he panics. What if Phil doesn't like him in real life? What if he thinks he's annoying? What if he decided he's not interested in Dan anymore and he's not even _at the station_? What is Dan gonna do then? He doesn't know anyone on Manchester!

Breath, Dan tells himself. Deep down, he knows none of that's gonna happen.

He steps off the train and looks around, looking for Phil. Luckily, he's very tall, ‘cause the station is crowded.

Then, he sees him. Phil, with his black hair and his flannel shirt. He's as perfect in real life as he is through a screen. He wants to shout and call for him, but instead he walks silently towards him.

When Phil sees him, he smiles and shouts ‘Dan!’. Dan smiles as well, and when Phil teaches to him they hug. The hug is everything Dan expected it to be. They fit perfectly with each other. Phil smells of popcorn and cologne.

When they break apart, Dan takes his notebook to tell Phil how happy he is to be here, but Phil gets ahead of him.

 _I'm so happy that you're here!,_ he signs clumsily.

Dan's smile is so wide his cheeks hurt.

 _Sign language?_ , he asks, happily.

 _I learnt a bit so it wouldn't be that hard for you to communicate with me_ , he answers, shyly.

Dan can't believe this man. He is literally the nicest and purest person in the entire world. Dan loves him.

Without even thinking, he pulls Phil close and he kisses him. Then he breaks apart. What has he done? Phil's gonna hate him now! _I'm so sorry…_ Dan begins to sign awkwardly and anxiously.

Phil holds Dan's hands with his, stopping him. He smiles reassuringly, and he kisses him.

The kiss is soft and sweet and everything Dan's ever wanted. And at this moment, Dan doesn't care about anything else. He's happy, and he knows as long as Phil is by his side, everything is gonna be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Say hi to me on tumblr: sofiattemptstowrite


End file.
